The Will to Rise (SYOC)
by LaRicaNica
Summary: Its the year X847. Needless to say a lot has changed in 55 years, starters being the permanent disbandment of Fairy Tail. Who is willing to step up and fill in those shoes? Those responsibilities? And most importantly the general impossibilities that they were known for? Sonic Fortuna may find themselves in a dire position of: Not having a choice but to. [Accepting Villains only.]
1. The Beginning of a Fortune

**AN: So, I guess I started this after all. I dunno why in particular, but I've wanted to for quite a while. So first things first, let me say that this is more or less an AU universe from Canon Fairy Tail.**

 **I'll have the Character Sheet on my profile too. In regards to the prologue, you honestly don't need to read it, I simply wrote it so y'all can see what my writing is like, to 'entice' you to submit a character. Also so I don't get myself promptly kicked off . Depending on submissions, It'll only be one accepted character per person. But, we'll see.**

 **I'm thinking a cast of 16 mages.**

 **0/3 S-Rank Wizards**

 **0/3 Dragon Slayers... I, uh really don't wanna use other types of slayers since I know very little about them. but if ya convinced me...**

 **Submissions for Villains will more or less be the same character sheet. but you don't need to devote nearly as much time as one would creating a guild member. After all, Villains would appear for only an arc or so. Also if you happened to notice any typos, chalk that up to it being 4 in the morning and I didn't want to edit it over a third time.**

 **Rules/Guidelines:**

 **1.) Don't submit via review, they tend to be subpar. Submit only through PM.**

 **2.) Only 1 character will be accepted, but I suppose you can submit as many as you please.**

 **3.) Don't rush, make your characters nice and well it's not first come, first served. It's: "wow, holy Louis, that's a good character, I'm adding them now." And, there will be a deadline at some point in the distant future. Let's say... 2 weeks?**

 **4.) Delete the stuff inside the bracket when you make the character. thx**

 **5.) Feel free to PM any questions you may have. This is a new idea for me, and undoubtedly one of my first SYOC's. If I laid out something confusingly, it's more than likely because I'm inept at expressing it.**

 **6.) Enjoy making your character, and have fun with it!**

 **On another note, I apologize ahead of time, yes I know the title name is crinnnnngeeeeey, and yeah, I'll make sure to find one far more suited for it after I think of one better.**

* * *

 _Malba City..._

The streets of Malba City were animated with countless people, stands, vendors and children consuming them. The chatter engulfed the area, drowning out the silence. The sun was at it's highest peak, blazing down onto the residents, without a cloud in sight to alleviate the heat.

Yet, despite that, people continued to flock the market place, not allowing for an orb of hydrogen dissuade them from their everyday lives. They continued to purchase, sell, talk, and enjoy the small pleasantries of a stable life.

After all, their lives were so close to certain destruction. 30,000 in total back then, so close to being wiped clean from the surface, to be nothing more than just literal sacrificial lambs.

But that was a long time ago. 55 years to be exact. In that half century, a lot has changed, for instances, given how the human nature is to grow and learn, the population in itself has expanded to an impressive 35,000. A growth worth mentioning undoubtedly.

Down in the marketplace, one teenage boy stood before a vendor. He scrunched his brows as he surveyed the goods on display before him. He constantly dug his hands into his jacket's pocket, reaching for a crumpled loose paper.

The teen sighed, the sheet may have been wrinkled, and its corners may have been ripped, but the message, as ineligible as it was spelled out one simple sentence:

 **Look for Igzeli's Will in Malba.**

The teen visibly deflated, his shoulders sagging. He never should have hastily taken the solo mission without at the very least knowing what it was about.

An obvious oversight and flaw on his part, but he supposed it was the price to pay for some alone time.

"Sir… Sir!" The vendor called, snapping the teen's attention from the sheet to the man.

He hastily buried the paper back into his pocket before answering, "Y-yes? Can I help you?"

"I was kind of wondering if I could be doing that for you," The man said halfheartedly, finishing with a small chuckle afterwards.

"Right, okay then. Uhm, have you heard of Igzeli? Or their will?" the teen asked cautiously

"...no," the man responded after a pause, his voice no greater than a small whisper, one that could have easily been lost in the cacophonous chatter if not specifically focused on.

"Sorry for wasting your time then," the teen finished, shrugging before turning on his heels.

The teen slowly started marching away. He lagged ever so slightly, hoping the man would call out to him. Unfortunately, despite the hesitant look on the vendor's face, he never did. And so the teen was yet again left with nothing.

Or perhaps, nothing tangible. This was the third vendor who seemed hesitant, seemed frightened and most importantly seemed at an impasse. The teen knew what the implications meant. Igzeli, whoever they are and their will was imposing itself on Malba, and it was his duty to clear it out.

After all, he was a mage on a job and it would not bode well for him to disappoint his master. She was scary when mad. The very thought gave him shivers.

The teen continued down the street, leaving behind the market place, that he was certain of as the voices and white noises slowly died down to nothing more but a pleasant murmur. He took a few quick turns, deviating from the main street.

He had a suspicion to being followed, as such, he tested it by taking four straight left turns in a row. Still noticing the same presences lingering, he sighed. He figured he was being followed due to his suspiciously noisy behavior back in the market. Regardless, that meant the people tailing him likely _knew_ something worth his while.

As such, it would ideally be best for him to gain information from what seems like a far more reliable source. An idea struck him and in one motion, his face morphed from exasperated to mischievous.

The teen stopped in place, feigning fatigue as he stretched his arms, he quickly scanned his surroundings. So far, he made sure to stay off the main street, leaving the market place. He also made the distinct effort to avoid other people, and as such branched off to a small single lane road. Carts could barely fit through it, let alone stands to set up in it.

He was certain the street was more likely some backhanded alleyway as despite having buildings on both sides, there weren't any entrances to them. Their backs were faced to the gravel road. In all honesty, it was probably for the best that way.

Less people to get in the way.

"Hello, child, are you lost?" A voice called out, undoubtedly one of the figures pursuing him.

"Hmm, me? Uh… yeah, actually I have no clue where I am," The teen answered, then the horror dawned on his face, his eyes widening to comical sizes.

"...Right, well, how about me and my pee-"

"Peers and I," the teen droned out unconsciously, he immediately clasped his hands before his mouth.

"Peers and I" the man repeated- albeit begrudgingly, "help you on your way home?"

"Nah, you can't. I don't live around here," The teen shrugged, giving a shy smile.

"Then how about we send you to the station?" The man offered.

Just as the teen opened his mouth, his response died at his throat. Only then did he notice that the presences from before were marginally larger than anticipated. The man he was talking to and a maybe a half dozen others were surrounding him like wolves a lamb, like vultures a carcass, like hyenas a carcass, like coyotes a carcass. Well, they were just eyeing him up like a carcass really, the teen gulped audibly before steeling himself.

"So, uh, you need…" the teen paused, his head bobbing as he counted the people around him, "8 guys to help me to the station?"

The man standing before him, the ring leader, merely narrowed his brows.

"That was kind of scary, not gonna lie," the teen commented absently.

"What is your name?"

"Hmm, shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking?"

"... Magmon, Igzeli's Will. Since you've seem inclined to find me, I've saved you the time. But, now that you know who I am, I simply cannot let you lea-"

"Aaron," The teen- Aaron interrupted, he was particularly enjoying the way the man's mouth twitched, and how he bared his teeth.

"Aaron then, I hope you've resolved yourself to your dea-"

"I'm also a mage from Sonic Fortuna. And I hope you resolved yourself to a beating," Aaron said, cracking his knuckles as he did so.

Magmon's brow twitched, but beyond that he took a deep breathe. His hands slowly started to glow a hot red.

"I'll make this slow and painful," The man whispered his wrath.

Aaron smirked, but otherwise remained in place, unfazed by the statement.

The stalemate was silent, one could hear a needle drop, that and the sizzling heat emitting from Magmon's hands. The two stared at one another unblinkingly. One with a calm fury in their eyes and the other an analyzing gleam to theirs.

In a blink the two lunged at one another, Magmon's hand open, with magma pulsing from his finger tips, and Aaron with his arm reeled back ready for a hay maker.

* * *

 _Magnolia Town..._

Fairy Tail disbanded nearly three decades ago, thus leaving a gaping hole inside Magnolia. Or more accurately, around it. Given the beauty of the city, and the people who live in it. One ambitious woman took the helms of the suddenly open and readily available plotted land.

She wished to have salvaged the building, but after serving countless years, it was finally time for it to be teared down. The woman disliked the prospect but pushed on regardless, it used to be home for many marvelous mages. But that is not to say the new building could not possibly do the same.

The woman smiled brightly as she stared at the golden walls of the relatively new guild hall. It was completed a few months back, and has been up and ready for recruitment ever since. To say it hasn't grown in the short period it's has been running would be an utter and blatant lie. Much like a wild fire, the reputation as well as members exponentially grew. But the Guild Master accounted for that, making sure there was plenty of space for her mages to reside in.

Three storeys tall, windows with snowy white frames and one large pole, with the golden flag sporting the guild's logo. Said logo was unique in design. The silhouette of a woman balancing on a ball, with two eighth notes to her sides like wings.

Her pride and joy, her Sonic Fortuna came to fruition.

Each time the woman stopped before it's gates, she couldn't help but stare up at it in awe. Just like Fairy Tail's mages created powerful bonds among themselves, she hoped to invoke the same kind of friendship, compassion and love for her own mages.

That being said, she undoubtedly had her work cut out for her, starting with her son.

* * *

 **AN: Magmon is a made up entity, or OC. Same with the Guild Master and Aaron. But you knew that obviously. Felt like sharing anyways.**

Fairy Tail Character Sheet: Sonic Fortuna

General Information

Name: (first and last)

Age: (12 the youngest)

Gender:

Birthday: (The Story's timeline starts X847)

Species:

Sexuality:

Psychology Information

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Hobbies:

Fears: (A phobia, or something they'd prefer to not have to be around/ expereince, everyone has one, no matter how small)

Dream: (What is their dream? The very thing they want to amount to, their passion, the works)

Open to Romance: (Y/N)

Background Information

History:

Family:

Physical Information

Body Type/Looks:

Height:

Weight:

Blood Type:

Hair Style:

Piercings/Scars/Notable features:

Appearance: (You could just write that all in here to be honest.)

Attire Information

(Not a lot of information is really required here, just helps me picture the character.)

Usual Clothing:

Modifications for Warm Weather: (what from their usual outfit changes for the weather)

Modifications for Cold Weather: (what he said up top)

Formal Clothing:

Swimwear:

Sleepwear:

Magic Information

Type of Magic:

Fighting Style:

Weapons or Gear:

Magic Spells/Techniques: (Spells they know now, and a few you'd like them to learn later. Also specify which spell is their 'ace in the hole'. Same applies for techniques too.)

Taboo: (What kind of 'rules' must they abide by? What punishments or side effects happen to them when they break those rules? Honestly, not a lot is spoken about taboos, so feel free to make it all up, I don't mind!)

Guild Information

(If they are apart of the guild)

How did they join the guild: (where they recommended, recruited, scouted? Adopted, found? Or simply went for a place that needed mages?)

Why did they join the guild: (Money, fame, a place to stay? What drove them to join this guild over another?)

S-Class Wizard: (would you like them to be? If so, give me a feat that is impressive and worthy of S-rank. Just added that now, heehee.)

Guild Tattoo Location:

Guild Tattoo Colour:

Extra Info

(Optional Stuff)

Favorite Season:

Favorite Time of Day:

Favorite Holiday:

Favorite Color:


	2. A Willed Punishment

Aaron was flung back, a sickening crunch resonating around the empty alleyway as he collided against one of the buildings. He peeled off like a stain, leaving a spider web of cracks on the wall he gracefully crashed against.

He landed on his feet, but only temporarily. His balanced faltered and forced him down onto a knee. He had gash horizontally across the top of his eyebrow. Blood flowed down the right side of his face, resulting in forcing his eye shut. Scratch marks littered his face and arms. Speaking of, his arms were scorched, and the sleeves of his sweater were charred, shredded and tattered.

"T-this, could have gone better," Aaron chastised.

He was cornered, pinned against the wall and before him the looming form of a wholeheartedly PISSED mage. His grunts stood behind him doing their very best to look opposing. Despite that, said grunts haven't bothered to move since the fight started, either meaning complete confidence in their boss, or dared not get in the way of him.

Whichever of the two still would have established Magmon as powerful.

Aaron sighed, standing to his feet shakily. He gingerly placed a hand on top of his gash wincing as it stung. He wiped the blood off his face and attempted to stem the blood flow. It was quite the deep cut, he worried it might scar.

"You dare look for Igzeli is your pitiful state? You're but a boy playing with magic," Magmon stated, his calm fury lacing every word.

Despite himself, Aaron smirked. He may have been at death's door, but that didn't mean he was going to go down begging. He'd never give anyone the satisfaction. Magmon seemed to notice his intentions and scowled deeply.

"You'll suffer the fate many others who opposed Igzeli have: D-"

"Death?" Aaron finished, in an amused tone, even if it sounded forced.

Magmon's knuckles clenched, going a ghostly white. Then in an instant he snapped the palms open , two small orbs of magma shimmered into existence. At first, the size of a peach seed, but slowly and erratically growing. The two orbs looked thin for actual lava and had the viscosity of water. It appeared to flow just as easily too. It allowed for even the small gentle breeze to influence their shape. From oval to sphere, to triangle to all other kinds of shapes, the magma continued to grow and grow.

Aaron smiled wryly, noticing the magic power reverberate throughout the area. Magmon's hazel eyes burned with an agitated fury and his head looked just about ready to blow it's top off like a volcano. The comparison was uncanny.

"Magma Magic: Vulcan's Retribution," Magmon intoned.

He clapped his two palms together combining the two pools of lava into one significantly larger one. The man seemed fine with how the lava slowly consumed his hands, then forearms all the way up to his elbows. Then, bending his arms closer to himself, he quickly thrust forward towards the incapacitated mage. Aaron snapped his eyes shut and defensively shielded his face with his arm.

He was certain the impact would be hot, searing and completely agonizing. Yet, after a few seconds, and without anything of the sorts affecting him. He cautiously peeled an eye open.

Standing before him was a hulking man, easily taller than his measly 5'7. The giant before him was at the very least 6 feet tall. He was incredibly muscular as well, easily the kind of person one would expect to be a gym teacher, or a personal trainer. As for why he was standing before him, and not six feet above him was because there was a blue translucent dome around him and Aaron.

"Aaron," The new man said, his voice gruff and annoyed.

The teen in question shrunk at the tone, "H-heey there, Cliff, Uhm, lovely wea-"

"Save it," He interrupted, and Aaron as a result looked on in complete horror realizing just how infuriating it was to be cut off.

The man tilted his head side to side, letting the joints in his neck crack. He slipped his massive hands into his fur coated jacket and scanned the alleyway, acknowledging the presence of each enemy.

But only just, he smirked and looked at them in a haughty fashion before turning his back to them and facing his wounded ally.

"Aaron," He started, "Care to explain? Now."

The response was instantaneous "Uhm…. W-well, I, uh, baddi- Bad gu- bad people are h-here, S-"

"You DARE! Turn your back to one of Igzeli's Will?!" Magmon shouted, his hands engulfing in lava.

Aaron whimpered in completely devastated horror, realizing he was not only interrupted once but twice, and by two separate people no less.

"Continue with your explanation," Cliff said, ignoring the outburst and glaring at the teen before him, he paused for a second before continuing, "Don't. Stutter either."

'R-right! I mean, Right! I took out the mission looking for Igzeli's Will," Aaron hastily explained, straightening his posture, going so far as to salute. He winced afterwards, only remembering then that his body is more or less a bloody pulp.

"That's S-rank, it's out of your jurisdiction,"

"Uh… Well, It was the only solo mission avaliab-"

"Silence," Cliff said, leaving absolutely no room for argument, "look at yourself. This was reckless and stupid, I expect this kind of behaviour from Daniel, not you,"

"...Firstly, STOP INTERRUPTING ME," Aaron stopped to wince, and quickly placed a hand over his gash, as it started to bleed profoundly again, "Secondly, I'm aware of my 'behaviour', but in all fairness this mission never had any actual combat involved!"

Cliff opened his mouth to answer just as hotly, only to turn his head, and come face to fist with a thoroughly enraged Magmon.

The explosion that followed was immense and the grunts had to quickly duck for whatever cover they could find. The shock wave shattered glass and any bird in a mile radius took flight. The dust cloud consumed the whole alleyway, denying sight for any of the grunts or the magma mage.

"Imbeciles. Be it one. Or two. You both. Die before. Me," Magmon said in between breathes.

"So… you were still here?" Cliff casually asked, almost as if he didn't just get hit by a magical nuke.

On the other hand, he definitely did, thus unnerving Magmon ever so slightly, a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. The magma mage took a cautionary leap back creating space between him and the begrudgingly clear threat.

The smoke dissipated revealing the man, Cliff as the other mage called him. He still stood facing towards his fallen ally but at the very least turned his head to the side showing a narrowed brow and a piercing blue eye. Magmon scanned him over, trying to wrap his head around the prospects of such a powerful mage slipping through his sights. The man had blond hair buzzed and well cropped. He was clean shaven. Work boots, brown pants, his jacket. Sure, they all sparked some slight recognition, but only like a face one can't quite put a name to.

Cliff sounded familiar, especially to Magmon, but he simply couldn't quite pinpoint it. The source of his problem turned to face him. Cliff cracked his knuckles in a menacing manner before smiling cockily, eyebrow raised and teeth baring.

But then, and only then did Magmon finally piece everything together, his belt carried the Sonic Fortuna logo, but even more importantly, carried a chain of keys.

Magmon's red eyes widened in realization. The man before him wasn't just any random mage. It was Maddox, Clifford Maddox the Champion of the Stars.

Magmon may have been blinded by rage at first, but nothing immense existential fear couldn't solve. He was feeling anything but anger at that given moment in time.

Maddox was popular around Fiore, and as such Magmon took the time to study the man and what was known to the public. It was ordained by Igzeli, and as such he would do so with gusto. Learning about the celestial spirit wizard however truly frightened the magma mage. He considered himself powerful, but what Maddox accomplished seemed otherworldly.

Magmon was in over his head, the only remaining course of action would be to evade and flee the monster standing before him. Report back to Igzeli, take whatever punishment the master sees fit, but ultimately. Survive.

Magmon quickly created a large amount of lava from his palms and launched it towards Cliff and Aaron. He didn't bother to check if it connected before turning and retreating.

He rounded the corner, slipping due to turning too sharply. He crashed into a few trash cans, but it did little to dissuade him from stopping. He got up quickly, turned around and spewed more lava onto the floor.

Magmon then quickly raised his hands and created a large wall of magma, completely blocking the path. He hardened the magma into solid stone. Satisfied he allowed himself a temporary respite.

"Ohhhh! It's him, it's him, it's him! I can sense it!" One voice said in an overly excited tone.

"Hmm, good. We'll mark him and be done with it," Another said quite blandly and void of emotion.

The two voices were enough for the magma mage contemplating . He turned fast enough to give lesser men whiplash. Standing on all fours, was a two headed dog.

Canis Venatici, Maddox's go to celestial spirit, or at the very least the most publicly known. Magmon cursed his luck, and his lack of foresight, since when would any celestial wizard not have their spirit summoned before a battle?

Magmon slowly inched away from the two headed spirit. He flinched when his back touched the very wall he created. It prevented him from going any further, leaving the canine to stalk forward, baring their teeth and claws.

Magmon's head was spinning, running at a thousand miles an hour just to find the right course of action. But a sudden instinctual desire to live kicked in, ushering him to move from the wall. His brows raised as he undoubtedly felt the cold stone presence of his pursuer on the other side. He dove to the side at the very moment a huge large X carved itself into the igneous wall.

Seconds later Cliff came bursting through leaving the wall in complete rubble. The man was wielding two curved daggers in a reverse grip.

Magmon got to his feet and pointed his palm forward, magma already starting to form. He was pinned down ferociously by Canis Venatici. Magmon struggled for almost a full second before he heard a pair of low growls by his ears and far too close for comfort.

Cliff walked towards the mage and got onto one knee, "You said something about, _one_ of Igzeli's Will?" He paused and waited for a reaction, Magmon's eyes widening in lamented horror was the tell he needed before continuing, " **elaborate**."

Canis Venatici growled, enunciating the demand.

* * *

Sonic Fortuna's guild was beautiful, strategically located, but above all else, huge. It had three storeys, the first for the bar, dining area, quest bulletin board and lounge. The second for sleeping quarters, washrooms and the infirmary. The final floor was S-rank exclusive, where the Guild Master's office , S-rank quest board and lounge for the pinnacle of Sonic Fortuna resided.

It was in the third floor where Aaron was currently seated. More specifically inside the Guild Master's office. The room was small and rectangular. To one end was the door, the only entrance and exit. To the other end, was a desk with a large window behind it. The curtains were donned in gold, symbolizing the guild's colour theme. There were a total of three chairs present in the oaken floored room. Two plush seats with armrests to the side facing the desk, with one being occupied. The final chair on the other side, presumably for the desk. Clifford Maddox was leaning against the door, watching in morbid satisfaction as Aaron was being chastised by his guild master and mother.

He was sulking and evidently shrinking before her. It was quite clear that if anything scared him more than Cliff, it was his mother.

She circled around him, shouting and screaming about things he long stopped paying attention to. All he could think of was just how eerily similar his situation felt to a vulture and a carcass. Wait, hasn't he thought of that somewhere before?

"Are you even listening to me?" His mother asked, she stopped circling him and crossed her arms.

"Yes," He said, she waited expectantly to which he haphazardly responded, "I took the trash out last week,"

A facepalm resounded through the office, and Aaron turned to look at the source, Cliff.

"Aaron," the Guild Master said, her no nonsense tone snapping the teen's attention back onto her.

"Look, I'm sorry," Aaron said, "I just got carried away, I mean, I know it was dumb, Cliff told me too. I learned my lesson,"

"Oh? Explain to me what that lesson was,"

"Not to get caught in combat with superior opponents,"

"NO!" Both Cliff and the Master shouted. They both sighed.

"It's not my problem," Cliff mumbled, he then turned to the Master and raised his voice "Aguila, I'll wait outside," he said, rubbing the side of his temple, massaging a pounding headache.

He left quickly after, presumably to remain nearby. He still hadn't reported to her about the mission, the actual mission, not the fiasco rescue one.

"Aaron, it has become apparent that my leniency towards your behaviour has left you spoiled,"

"Pfft, now I wouldn't go that far," Aaron shrugged in his seat, brushing the notion aside.

"As such, from this point on, you are prohibited from coming to the third floor, like the rest of the non S-rank members," His mother said with complete and unwavering conviction.

"WHAT! But m-... ohhhh no, I'm not about to beg,"

"Good, for it wouldn't change much. Additionally, you are banned from taking solo missions until I deem you ready,"

"Exc-wha-wai! HUh! No, that's not fair!"

"Nor was it fair to Clifford, he isn't your glorified babysitter," The master explained in a forced calm.

"..."

"You need to spend more time talking to your guild members," She said in a softer, mothering tone, "how many do you actually know by name?"

"I know Chris, and Cliff… and, uhh…. Jared?"

"Jurabi,"

"Right, Jurabi… and that's not helping my case… is it?"

"You are dismissed, If I catch you undermining any of these restrictions, there will. Be. consequences. Am I clear?" The master asked, each word pronounced crisply and commanding his unyielding attention.

'Y-yes Ma'am Mom! I mean Master Ag-Master Mom!" Aaron yelped squirming out of his seat.

He sloppily saluted before hastily making his way out of the office. He practically slammed the door of it's hinges as he bolted towards the stairs.

Master Aguila sighed, shaking her head in amusement. Slamming against the wall, the door quickly rounded it's course and came back. But before it could close, a work boot stuck itself into the doorway.

"Aguila? May I?" Cliff asked, slowly peeking his head through.

"Sure, I could hear some good news," The master said absently, stretching her tired arms.

"Well, I wouldn't consider it exactly, good news," Cliff warned.

"Start from the beginning," Aguila said, taking a seat at her desk.

"I subdued the target. Currently he has been ushered into custody. However, before I gave him to the knights, I managed to extract some intel from."

"Legally I hope," Aguila mumbled, leaning her head against her open palm.

"Right, legally. Igzeli's Will, turns out to be more than just one person. Igzeli also happens to be someone rather than something," Cliff concluded.

"Hmm, well done, I'll assume you'll be looking for the other Wills?" Aguila asked.

"Of course, but it'll take time. He disclosed a few locations, but they all circulated around Malba."

"That's fine, take as much time as required, but do _not_ engage Igzeli, report back to me after finding something of worth."

There was a clear pause that stretched on for a few seconds. The two stared into each other's eyes with a determined focus, his blue to her green. After a few more seconds he simply resigned, with a short, "very well".

He was half way through the door when he heard a soft thank-you. Whether it was for the completion of the mission as a whole, saving her son, agreeing to her request or a combination of the three, he didn't know. What he did know was that she was quite frugal with the term and disliked its usage.

* * *

The walk down the stairs has been the longest Aaron ever felt. Perhaps it was the gravity of the implications finally sinking in. He'd never be able to take them up again. Less it be to speak with his mother and that was a whole other can of worms he preferred not to disturb.

The staircase was a beautiful spiral, positioned in the center of the room. With marble steps and a golden railing, it was the very picture of classy. Despite it's beauty, Aaron couldn't help but sulk. His privileges, basically his rights have been stripped from him.

Sure, he may not have been S-rank to begin with, but the others still looked to him as someone of superiority. At the very least, he hoped. He never truly did spend much time around the other mages.

Sonic Fortuna was founded five years ago. After an incident involving his mother inspired her to start a guild. He still chalks it up to one of her unpredictable and spontaneous decisions. Much like adopting his brother. In fact, the two choices were intertwined with one another. One day after his mother returned from council work, she brought back a teenage boy with her. Aaron would describe the boy as impeccably lazy, and if asked now, he'd still do the same. However, he considered his brother Chris to easily be his best friend. Mostly due to a lack of friends, but nevertheless someone he treasured deeply. It took a bit of time adjusting to a new face and person. But after overcoming that he grew deeply attached to his older brother.

One brother who also happens to be S-rank and would totally allow him on missions!

With that in mind, Aaron continued marching down the spiralled steps, only sparing a moment's glance to a few people loitering on the second floor.

The first floor was what some would consider, oxymoron. The stairs still remained in the center, but the room was obviously segmented for it's purposes. Yet, despite the blatant distinction from the bar, and the lounge, or even the mission board, it all felt like one large blend. Like a salad that had all of the vegetables tossed in. It looked chaotic, but still no matter how many vegetables that were placed in, it would still retain the overall look of a salad. In other words, it was the very definition of chaotic order.

Aaron hastily made his way to the one place he knew he'd find his brother, the lounge. Or more specifically anywhere in the lounge that allowed his brother to rest his head on. It only took a goldfish's memory before spotting a familiar head of dirty blond hair.

Aaron was just about to walk up to his brother until the realization hit him like the side of the building did 2 weeks ago. Chris was awake! AWAKE! He was awake and totally looking at the mission board, it wasn't even the S-rank one either!

"C-chris!? Hey?" Aaron choked out, this was all so very difficult for the teen to take in.

"Hmm? Hello Aaron," The man in question greeted, turning away from the board and facing his younger sibling.

"Give me a moment," Aaron said, raising a finger, and breathing profound large gulps of air.

"You'll hyperventilate," Chris deadpanned, his brows sagging, and his grey eyes dull and slightly unfocused.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Yes,"

"Uh-huh, so you're taking a mission? Shocking, hey! I know! Let's do it together, just like good ole times? What do you say?"

"Well…"

"No Can Do!" A new voice said, the tone perky, bubbly and just far too energetic for either of the two siblings.

The owner of said voice quickly popped into Aaron's peripheral, a small woman, standing maybe a whole foot shorter than Chris. He was able to come to that conclusion because she was around a whole foot off the ground. Moreover, she happened to have clamped her arms around his neck and used him as some obscured form of transportation. Chris didn't bother to resist, favoring to sigh instead as he turned to face the mission board again.

Aaron watched the spectacle dumbstruck, speechless but mostly just annoyed.

"Why's that? You going on a mission with him or something?"

"Yea! He promised to work today, so the team's gathering up!"

"T-team!?" Aaron sputtered incredulously.

It was one thing to see Chris working, it was another altogether to see him commit to seeking it out. Aaron internally debated with himself, was Chris is some shady affairs? Scandalous ones? Who was the pretty lady anyways? Aaron's eyes flickered up, looking at the pair, who still happened to be in the same childish position as before.

Looking Chris' teammate over in detail showed that she was probably as athletic, or more so than himself. Lean and toned legs poked out for under her white skirt, and she kept her navy blue hair in a long ponytail.

She noticed him staring thus prompting her to snicker before dismounting her teammate. In one motion she landed on her feet then leaned far too closely into the teenager's face. Said face burnt crimson at the proximity, forcing him to reel back.

"Oh please don't stare, you'll make my blush, you know?" The woman feigned bashfulness, placing her open palm against her cheek and sighing dramatically.

"Spare me," Aaron coughed out, which caused the young woman to laugh.

"So, who are you? I'm Izumi," The woman, now dubbed Izumi asked.

"Aaron… You know, one of the founding members of this guild,"

"Oh…" She said.

"..."

"..., Chris did you pick out a mission yet?" Izumi asked suddenly, shifting her focus back onto her teammate.

The teen facepalmed, but ultimately favoured in leaving his brother and teammate be. He heard some indignant shouts about 'not falling asleep standing' as he left.

Aaron found himself thinking about his punishment again. To be kicked out of the 3rd floor was a massive blow to his ego. S-rank mages resided there, the cream of the crop, the heroes, the most powerful mages of Sonic Fortuna, and most likely Magnolia too. But, now he was stripped of such a luxury. Perhaps he never deserved it to begin with, but all he truly used the 3rd floor was to rest and read in silence. Even if all 3 S-rank mages were present, one was his almost near constant sleeping brother, the other was an ex military man, and the final was some tomboyish girl he's probably only seen enough times to count on his finger. In other words, 2 of 2 mages he knew would probably prefer to just remain quiet leaving the variable of the final mage. Additionally, Aaron's a stout believer that it's quite easy to ignore one person if one's willing to try hard enough. Meaning, the 3rd floor was a perfect place to embrace the silence.

It's not to say Aaron disliked noise or sounds, it was just that conversation was never a strong suit of his, or at the very least, the act of socialization. He enjoyed hearing his own voice, just not others. The teenager walked towards the bar, watching as the bartender worked to satisfy the heavy drinkers of the guild.

The man frantically worked in constant refills, mixing drinks, refilling the drinks he just made, and doing his best to serve in under a minute flat. Aaron wouldn't give the man another week before he resigned, just like all others.

"Virgin rum and coke please," Aaron asked, taking a seat on the stool.

The bartender stared for a second before reaching under the cabinet and tossing a can of pop at the teenager.

"Thanks," he said, catching the can and cracking it open.

The fizzy and chilled contents went down his throat with little effort, revitalizing him.

"Hiya! What's up Aaron?" A boy asked with so much cheer that the teen in question nearly gagged.

Aaron looked to the side, seeing the youngest member of the guild. He had light brown hair and eyes, as well as wore a green hoodie. His name, it was David, if Aaron recalled it.

"Hey,"

"I'm Daniel by the way." David sai- ?

Aaron nearly spewed his beverage, but managed to clasp a hand before his mouth. The sticky contents of the pop seeped through his hand. The bartender without any hesitation tossed a napkin his way. Aaron gladly grabbed it and started cleaning the mess he caused.

"Hahaha, that was funny! Was that a spell or something?" Daniel asked through his laughter.

"I think I've met enough mages for one day," Aaron murmured under his breath, still cleaning his hand.

"But seriously, what'cha doing here?"

"I… uh, was going to take out a mission," Aaron cursed his lack of composure, Daniel tilted his head to the side innocently.

It did little to calm Aaron. After all, this kid was still as tall as him, and if that didn't sting his pride, telling some 15 year old he was more or less grounded would certainly have.

"Another solo spy mission?" Daniel asked, drinking from his own cup of grape juice.

Aaron didn't even recall the kid ordering, "No, I'm thinking of teaming up with someone,"

"Really? Who?"

"Uh, I haven't decided yet,"

"You don't have anyone to team up with?"

When he said it like that, it definitely stung Aaron's pride, he laughed uneasily, cursing the child's stupid curiosity. He was way too old to act like this. Aaron took a swing from his can, finishing it. He used that as any decent excuse to get up and make his way to leave.

"Hey! Wait, If you need a team, why not ask Jurabi? He's been looking for a 4th for his mission, he asked me but I had to decline,"

Aaron paused, and turned to face Daniel. The teen smiled in response before pointing to a table, one that had a far too handsome man sitting at it. Aaron shrunk at the prospect, but decided it was probably the best chance he'd have, less he waited for Chris to finish his mission with Izumi plus co.

The table was round and made of a stainless steel. As Aaron approached he noticed in the surface's reflection just how unkempt he had his black hair. He quickly ran his fingers through it like a proxy comb.

Jurabi was sitting calmly, with a mug placed on a coaster and a few books sprawled open. He was completely engrossed with his readings, not even noticing how his framing hair concealed his eyes. With closer inspection, Aaron noticed the books were encyclopedias, specifically revolving around vegetation.

"Hey, heard you need one more for a mission," Aaron started, taking a seat across from his counterpart.

Jurabi looked up and nodded.

"Uh-huh, that's great then! Count me in,"

"Really? You want to work… together?" Jurabi asked, raising a quizzical brow.

"Yes, is that strange?"

"Quite, you've rarely ever set foot upon this floor," Jurabi said calmly, already putting his focus back onto the book in hand.

"Yeah, but the Master insists I learn better cooperation," Aaron brushed off, waving his hand in a nonchalant fashion.

"Very well, I'll go get the others,"

"What? Now?"

'Will that be a problem?"

"Well, no..." Aaron said lamely.

Jurabi closed his book, and gently placed it over top the others, creating a neat pile before making his way towards the stairs. Aaron subconscious got up before realizing it. Shrugging he decided to follow his fellow teen to the second floor.

The dormitory was quite simple in design. The stairs may have been in the center of the floor , but said floor was neatly divided with the girls to the right and boys to the left. Thus prompting all kinds of alarms in Aaron's head the moment he noticed them heading right.

"So, she's a girl?"

"Yes, they both are,"

"Oh-wai-whaaaaat?" Aaron

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, of course not, just surprised is all," Aaron stammered, he noticed the skeptically confused look Jurabi gave him and decided to elaborate, "I mean, you seem like the 'pretty boy' kind of person, doesn't dealing with girls, I dunno, bother you?"

"I don't think I understand what you mean,"

 _Of course not! Pretty and humble? What the hell is this guy_? Aaron thought, smiling nervously as he watched Jurabi rapped his knuckle on one of the many doors.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming already!" a snappy voice called from the other side.

The two boys heard a bit of thrashing, something that sounded like glass crashing and nervous gulping. No wait, that was just Aaron. He gave a pleading look to the back of Jurabi's head.

The door cracked open, revealing two orange eyes. They immediately cast upon Jurabi and deflated.

"Oh, it's just you," She deadpanned before opening the door completely.

"Hello Mabel, are you ready?" Jurabi asked, seemingly unfazed by the blizzard-like tone he just received seconds ago.

Aaron was impressed, not only was his fellow male able to endure the humiliation of a snippy tone, but he was also able to look up to the significantly taller girl. She was easily half a foot taller than him. Aaron knew he'd undoubtedly shrivel up and wilt like a dying flower had he have to suffer half of what Jurabi just did.

"Aaron, this is Mabel, Mabel, Aaron, he's our fourth for the Golden Egg quest," Jurabi introduced.

Aaron nodded towards her, "Nice to meet you," he said, raising a hand for a shake.

"So, we're picking up Elise then?" Mabel asked, turning on her heels to face Jurabi directly.

And thus utterly and completely ignoring the other male in the hallway. Aaron numbly shook his own hand, shriveling up like a dying flower.

"Not needed, she's in Magnolia already. We'll meet her by the station," Jurabi explained.

"Then let's get going already!" Mabel half said, half complained.

She led the charge, marching exuberantly with Jurabi following after her. After a few seconds he returned and dragged the shell-shocked Aaron with him.

* * *

 **So that's all for today and this Chapter! Introductions are going to be slow, as I would prefer not to swarm you all with so many characters! Despite that, I hope to have everyone introduced by 3 chapters. Submissions were sooo good! I want to thank everyone for making my job soo very difficult! I had such a hard time picking the cast! But after a week, the group has been established. I'll eventually add more. Probably, but for now I have all the mages I need for Sonic Fortuna. The creators have been Pm'ed. I would still love to use the ones submitted for other arcs, and or ambiguous villains. But it ultimately bottles down to the creator. If you wish for me not to, then I'll abide by your decision.**

 **Characters Introduced in order:**

 **Aaron - me**

 **Clifford 'Cliff' Maddox - Condor-K**

 **Guild Master Aguila - me**

 **Chris Vain - Trevor607**

 **Izumi Ito - Reduced20**

 **Daniel Flex - ImmortalAssassinz**

 **Jurabi Cifer - Espada 4 Jurabi**

 **Mabel Candmerry - Harukawa Ayame**

 **PS. I just remembered something, the section where I asked when they joined has been null. I've decided to omit that in favour of making Sonic Fortuna a newer guild. I did make the effort of putting that in my last chapter, I believe but forgot about it on my profile. Or vice versa. I'm just quite scatter brain. Just clearing up any possible confusion.**


	3. The Ball Rolls

_Magnolia Town…_

One individual sat at a patio table. A cone of double vanilla ice cream in hand as he aimlessly stared at the heavily crowded streets. He watched from under the shade the patio umbrella provided, absently taking small bites from the cone in a periodic fashion.

The man was lean, and tall. The left side of his face was covered with a lock of flint gray hair, concealing one of his two smoky green eyes. He leaned against the chair, with an overall apathetic appearance to him.

His dull eyes would give a momentary glance per civilian who walked by the ice cream shop. He repeated the process for a few more minutes before seeing a familiar face, one of which told him significant bad news.

" _Ohhh, it's her! Must mean something fun_!" A contradicting voice said, bubbly cheer in her tone.

The man sighed as he looked across the table. A spirit of a young girl smiled back at him, her body swaying from side to side, brimming with excitement. The man didn't panic, nor was he even remotely surprised. He merely raised his left hand, gazing upon the azure ring on his ring finger.

It's been four years since he's found the ring, the ring that beckoned him, and as such it's been four years since he's started to have the luxury as well as burden of being the only person to see the spirit before him. She called herself Kei, and despite what he told himself was a very adorable looking girl. With long flowing sapphire blue hair and watery lips, she was picturesque.

She was also his sole form of magic, as he had very little luck producing his own. A borrowed magic that ultimately made him eligible to join guilds and take on even more demanding jobs than the odd hunting or errand one's he was accustomed to.

He smoothed his fingerless mismatched gloves, watching but hardly acknowledging the woman who made a beeline straight towards him.

"Aster, the master wants to speak with you," The woman said, her straight orange hair danced in the light breeze.

Aster remained silent, looking up to the standing woman, her hands on hips and lips pursed together. It was quite apparent that she was displeased to see him, or perhaps to sought him out. Maybe it was because he wasn't at the guild. Or she could very well have been napping moments ago? In all honesty, Aster could come up with multiple reasons for her obvious displeasure.

He'd rarely ever get the chance to disclose that information, as the words tended to get stuck, or even more plausible reasons would appear which more or less short circuited his ability to communicate in favour of playing out the possibilities.

"Very well," Aster said, taking a final bite from his ice cream before standing up, matching his counterpart.

She was significantly shorter than him, standing at his nose. The two wore sleeveless shirts, the difference being his made of leather and her's a logo of a snake coiling around a skull down the center.

The two shared a look before the lady led, not stopping to see if he'd follow. He would, his spirit and companion was nagging him to no end to hurry up.

" _So what do you think it's about?_ " Kei asked, her voice childish but ethereal all the same.

Aster shrugged, to which Kei pouted, " _Ask her then! I wanna know!"_

"Why does the master want to see me?" He said after a pause.

"Something important. Obviously," The woman responded, adding the last word under her breath.

Aster meet the woman a few times before, back in the guild. She was the only female S-rank wizard, and she happily showed it. Aster knew she was quite the unapproachable person, always holding herself as if royalty.

His eyes absently wandered to the lady before him, as if further proving his point. Her head was held high, commanding attention but all the same discouraging gazers. She walked as if the street was paved for her and nothing less but perfection would have sufficed.

" _She's kind of pretty_ ," Kei said tilting her head to the side, as if inspecting a sculpture.

Aster raised a brow, " _Well, nowhere near as pretty as me though, clearly_ ," Kei concluded half a second later.

Aster lowered his brow, but did acknowledge Kei's opinion nevertheless. No matter how strange it may have been. From where Aster stood, it was apparent that the woman before him had scales.

Actual scales, they shone against the sunlight and were a pinkish red and faded black. There weren't a lot of them, but their contrasting colours kind of stood out. Aster ran a few theories in his head the first time he noticed them. But given just how many variables were present, his mind went rampant.

Asking her could have solved the problem, but he honestly didn't care enough nor did he think it would seem… respectful? After all, if it was apart of her anatomy, wouldn't it be the same as asking someone why they're skin was a different colour?

" _What was her name again? It started with an A right? Like yours_?" Kei asked, twisting her lips as she placed a finger to her lips.

"Aeris," Aster supplied.

"What?"

Oh jeez.

* * *

Izumi's protests were quickly meet with a sheet of paper being ushered into her chest. She spaced out, her jade eyes glued themselves to the page.

"Forest animals scavenging farms?" Izumi recited confusingly, her head tilted to the side.

"Hmm," Chris agreed, nodding his head sagely.

"I didn't think you had it in you! I'm so very impressed Chris!" Izumi teased, winking at her teammate.

Chris shrugged then stifled a yawn. He pointed towards a table before quickly ushering his smaller teammate over. She flailed for a few seconds, not really understanding his intentions until he was already sitting and passed out.

"You little snea-"

"Hey, you two better not be getting mushy on us," a new voice interrupted.

Izumi momentarily tensed before relaxing and facing the source. A petite girl styled in a floral kimono looked on with a smile. A lollipop stuck out from under her lips. Her reddish eyes were filled with mirth.

To her side, was a much taller man, snowy white hair poked out from under a tied cyan bandana. He wore a grey furred vest and had a strange insignia scribbled around his left hand, hued in a faded gold.

"Ha, as if, why not explain yourself? The two of you coming in together seems pretty fishy to me," Izumi countered playfully.

"Fishy? I didn't realize people could fish wal-"

"Figure of speech," Izumi and the girl said, silencing the boy who smiled in feigned understanding.

He never had a strong suit for picking up social cues, and today was no exception. Izumi and his friend, Giselle tended to have surprisingly serious conversations with one another, and despite their tone, he couldn't really understand any of it.

The two ladies continued talking about mundane things in their way too overly teasing tones, which would normally force implications and interpretations of some kinds, except for the male who thought they were just talking funny. How would 'meeting up in town, just the two of you,' mean anything else other than what it was?

"So, Chris, you picked a mission right?" he asked, in favour of avoiding the innuendo ridden conversation the ladies were having.

After waiting for a few seconds, he decided to nudge the dead-looking body of his friend. Instantaneously, Chris bolted upright and swung at the male with the back of his palm. Said male nimbly sidestepped before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Ori, that could have ended poorly," Izumi said, shifting her focus onto the two males.

"Oriax, why did you wake me up?" Chris asked, looking seriously wounded at the prospect.

Oriax smiled and shrugged, "The girls were having a stupid conversation, I was feeling kind of left out,"

"Stupid? More like stupidly easy to follow," Giselle said under her breath.

"Aweeh, Was Ori feeling lonely?" Izumi asked, puckering her lips and posturing her hands like a kitten.

"Hhm, No, not really, but you two were doing 'that' again," Oriax explained, taking a seat beside Chris.

"That? You mean socializing?" Giselle asked in a deadpan.

"No, I agree with Oriax, you two were definitely doing 'that' again," Chris said, nodding his head in agreement, much to Oriax's delight.

"How would you know!? You were SLEEPING the whole time!" Izumi protested indignantly.

"Thank goodness too. No man should have to deal with 'that' awake," Chris countered, then he turned and gave a sympathetic look, "my condolences Oriax."

"Meh, all jargon talk," The white haired man said, shrugging, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Oh dear, what have you done with Oriax? He wouldn't have known to smile then," Giselle said.

"What do you mean? I know when to smile, see, smiling," The white haired man finished, showing teeth as he did so.

"Oriax, that just means you know how to smile," Chris explained.

"Hey! We're all here now! Let's take out the quest already!" Izumi beamed, foregoing the whole conversation in favour of their initial purpose of meeting up.

"To answer your previous question," Chris started, facing his fellow male, "yes, I did take out a mission, we can head out now if you all are ready,"

The general consensus was yes, if the nods of their heads were any indication.

"Finally! I've been waiting for hours!" Izumi cheered, her excitement seeping through her pores.

"Why waste your ti-"

"Figure of speech," Giselle and Izumi deadpanned, looking to the oblivious male.

He smiled in feigned understanding.

"One day Oriax, one day," Chris said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Or a million," Giselle added.

The four made their way towards the exit, a spring to their step and smiles on their faces.

"So, where are these forest animals anyway?" Izumi asked, remembering the general premise of the mission.

"Hmm, Around Magnolia's outskirts, 12 minutes away," Chris supplied.

"..."

"WHAT!?" The three chorused in different levels of frustration, confusion and exasperation.

* * *

"I brought them here," Aeris said, opening the Master's office in doing so.

Master Aguila raised a brow, impressed yet equally baffled at the prospect of her S-ranker completing nothing more than an errand with precision fast efficiency.

"Uh, Well done Aeris, A reward is in order," Aguila said, reaching into her desk and grabbing a leather pouch of jingling coins.

"I know how very annoying it may be for you to be an errand girl for me, so please, accept this," the master insisted, tossing the coins towards Aeris.

She caught them with ease and quickly placed them in her pocket, "Thank-you, and please, feel free to come to me for anything more,"

Aeris bowed slightly before marching out of the office, Aster begrudgingly entered, his posture sagging and his hands buried in his pockets.

"Aster, I'd ask you to take a seat, but… well," The master faltered, her eyes flickering to the two occupied chairs.

Aster's eyes followed the master's, seeing the faces of Irene and Ramses, The two turned to face the commotion, one with stern and critical eyes, the other with a warm smile.

Irene, was a short girl, with perhaps her most notable feature being the scar running above her right eyebrow. Ramses on the other hand displayed class, even when sitting, emitting this demand for order. His posture was ramrod straight, and his every movement seemed calculated to the precise detail.

The two were strong mages of Sonic Fortuna, easily capable of holding their own if the need arise. Speaking of rise, There were all sorts of alarms doing just that in Aster's head. The lazy man sighed, already theorizing the reason for his presence.

"I'll be frank and quick to the point, You three so far are my only nominations for S-rank this upcoming trials," Master Aguila spoke, commanding everyone's attention.

Aguila paused and gauged the reactions, Irene did her best to remain indifferent, but couldn't help but swell up a little, Ramses did the same, his posture straightening out even more than before, Aguila couldn't really explain how, he'd snap in two if he kept it up.

"I decline your offer," Aster said, his voice raspy and slow.

Irene tisked, folding her arms and shaking her head, whereas Ramses tilted his own in confused curiously.

"When have the mages here become so…" Irene stopped, in favour of sighing instead.

"You're entitled to do that, Aster, if that's what you and your magic insists on, then I cannot nor will not stop you," The master said, swiftly changing the topic.

" _Magic? Oh! She means me! Hey, what do S rank mages do!? Ask her, ask her, you have to ask her! I order it_ ," Kei practically shouted, shimmering into existence, by his side.

"... Nevermind, I accept your offer," Aster said after a pause, his body deflating as he did so.

" _Hey! You didn't ask her_!" Kei pouted.

"Well, this goes without saying, but I'm truly honoured by your belief in my peers and I," Ramses started, bowing his head before continuing "I'm grateful you placed your faith in us."

"You all have demonstrated immense growth and potential, it's a clear choice, nevertheless, this is only candidacy. There may be more to join the trials soon enough," the master explained, "and you may lose your candidacy if you're performance drastically diminishes," She concluded.

Aster thought it an easy enough excuse then, he'd simply take small minuscule tasks for the upcoming few months or so, lose the candidacy and be fine with it. He's sure that if he wanted to, he could convince Kei, or at the very least mislead her. Again, it really bottled down to whether he cared enough.

In all honesty, he simply felt disauded from S-rank due to the responsibility and public image one must hold. Maddox was a fine example, going far as to be given an alias by the people.

Aster didn't want the responsibility, nor did he even enjoy the company of crowds. Additionally, and perhaps the most obvious reason was the extra work that came with S-rank. He'd never do it, unless he was told to.

Although extra work is apart of the job description, so is the liberty of doing so much more as a S-rank. And knowing Kei's unquenchable thirst for discovery, exploration and knowledge, he'd know she'd want to become one. She'd probably demand him to become S-rank on the spot.

As such, he decided not to ask the master what S-rank entails, he already knew, and if Kei did as well. The following months would involve the most tiresome unrelenting work imaginable. Moreover, if his suspicions were correct, Master Aguila would probably cater her response towards something that would appeal to Kei.

The master was clever, she probably intended to play into Kei from the start.

"I'm honoured too, but what's the point of telling us? To motivate us? Do you think we'd slip up and you're just reminding us? There's hardly any real reason for telling us about this, this many months before the trials," Irene listed off, waving her hand as she did so.

"Yes, I do have a reason. Aeris!" the master said, beaconing her sole female S-ranker to walk into the office.

The scaley mage leaned against the door and nodded towards the master's direction.

"You'll all be taking on a S-rank mission now, Aeris will supervise, but beyond that not interfere. Consider this…" Aguila paused, as if thinking of a word to use, "insurance for your candidacy."

The three mages gave quizzical looks of varying degrees of severity. They all turned to face Aeris when she clapped her hands together and narrowed her eyebrows.

"That's right, you're stuck with me, I have the details. We leave in a hour, gather your things..." The woman, paused scrunching her brows in thought, "enough to last a week," Aeris instructed afterwards.

"You three, are dismissed," Aguila said gesturing towards the mages, prompting for Ramses to bow and head out to his respective room with a delicate level of haste. Aster and Irene more or less shrugged and left with far less desire.

Aeris and the master remained in the office, in silence.

"The Mage Slayer," Aeris whispered, "you really think they can handle something like that?" she said after what felt like an agonizing amount of time.

Aguila raised an eyebrow, confused by the very question.

"Right, I guess you would. Very well, I'll intervene if only the situation demands it," Aeris concluded with a shrug.

"I expect nothing less of you," the master nodded her approval.

Aeris straightened herself from her leaning position and turned to the door, her hand clasped around the bronze knob, she stilled, remaining in place, "However, if I suspect even for a second he'll get out of this, I'll step in myself and leave him in cinders, clear?"

She tilted her head to the side, her eye burning with a deathly conviction, she lingered for a second before leaving.

"I expect nothing less of you," The master repeated, her voice dry.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight, you're a Dragon Slayer?" Aaron asked, scratching the top of his head.

"Yes, that is correct," Jurabi nodded.

"It's so painfully obvious, anyone should have known that," Mabel murmured under her breathe, but undoubtedly loud enough for the teen to hear.

"What kind of slaying magic?" Aaron continued, albeit less animated than before.

"Forest, I was raised by Gardenia, she was like a mother to me," Jurabi said, his voice taking on a tone of nostalgia.

Aaron noticed it, but wasn't sure how to comment on it, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to. Thankfully, Mabel came to his rescue in what he was coming to realize as being a normality of hers.

"Uggh, how long do we need to wait! Elise said she'd be here by 2! It's past 20 already!" Mabel exploded, her patience losing itself.

"Just a little longer," Jurabi said, proceeding to get an annoyed huff in response.

The three of them were at the meeting location, inside the train station and awaiting for the fourth member to arrive. The walk towards the station was awkward. Or at the very least it was for Aaron.

He didn't like the thought of being ignored, but at the same time did little to intervene with it. Thus making any conversation between him and Mabel a moot endeavor. And although Jurabi seemed nice, Aaron couldn't bring himself to start much small talk with him either. The now confirmed dragon slayer didn't give off a vibe of chatty or sociable.

The walk was done in silence, bar complaints coming from the only female in the party. They arrived at the station a few minutes early, and remained there up until the point where Aaron thought it best to at the very least learn the magic of his comrades.

"And what magic does Mabel use?" Aaron asked, addressing the question towards Jurabi.

The teen in question tilted his head confusedly, before looking towards Mabel. She sighed before turning to face Aaron.

"I use Puppet Magic, controls inanimate objects, makes them stronger," She said curtly, her explanation barely counting as one.

Then silence fell between them, with the exception of trains steaming to life and chatter filling the air. Aaron honestly had no idea how the two of them worked together, seeing as they rarely spoke to one another. He also didn't really see how he'd be able to integrate himself for the mission, given how finicky Mabel seemed to dealing with strangers, or just people in general.

"Omigosh! I'm sooo sorry!" A peppy and cheery voice screamed, the exuberance of the tone piercing through the station's commotions.

"You're late!" Mabel shouted pointing a finger towards the source.

The girl standing before the trio wore flamboyant colours. Or was doing her very best to embody a rainbow. A yellow top hat, with a purple ponytail poking out from under it, green scarf-like belt, blue pants, red shirt and white shoes. Everything about her simply demanded attention. Aaron couldn't look away, as if morbid fascination took hold of him.

Elise, as the teen deduced smiled and waved sheepishly towards her friends, 'I got sidetracked, there was this kid, and he looked lost so-"

"Save it! I just want to get on with the mission already!" Mabel cut in, placing her open palm in front of Elise.

The girl blinked a few times before smiling, "Maaabel~ Did you worry about me?"

"Worry? Are you kidding me? You're my- Hey!? Stop it! Stop!" Mabel's pleas grew hectic, and angrier.

It did little to prevent Elise from practically pouncing on top of her teammate. Aaron turned, feeling it somewhat immoral to watch, Jurabi was already at the front desk ordering tickets, seeming unfazed by his group of friends. Commendable, even borderline priestly.

After what Aaron assumed was a tickle attack, the two settled down, settling down being Mabel becoming agitated to no ends and some purple like mist emitting from around her. And Elise chatting with Jurabi as if she didn't just finish humiliating herself and her friend in front of a crowded station.

Aaron shivered at the prospect, humiliation seemed like a motif around these people. He wasn't sure if he should simply run now if he could. He decided to wait on a bench instead. Their train still needed time to prepare itself for passengers.

"So, Jurabi says your name's Aaron, like Aaron who helped found the guild?" Elise greeted, coming out of nowhere and taking a seat on the bench beside him, promptly scaring the soul out of the teen.

"No!? I MEAN yes, that's me. Nice to meet you," the teen said after a few short breaths, stretching out his open hand.

Elise laughed before clasping her hand in his for shake, "You're a funny guy, so why'd you decide to work with us?"

"Err… uh, well, I wanted to expand my expertises,"

"Expertises?" Elise repeated curiously.

"W-well, I mean, I need to improve my cooperation," Aaron finally conceded, sagging his head in defeat.

"Why?"

"Why? Uh, I… I don't really know, to be honest,"

The two remained silent. Only until Jurabi called them, causing Elise to practically bounce from her seat. She gave an outstretched hand to the teen, who after a second or two of contemplation took it.

"See, you're cooperation seems pretty good to me," Elise smiled.

Aaron returned the smile, with a raised brow, and confused look in his eye. She was definitely an extrovert. He was starting to see how Mabel and Jurabi managed to work together, they had Elise who helped mold them together. She seemed like the emotional platform that they used to work on.

He supposed that even socializing can hold it's merit and benefits.

* * *

 **Author Note's: Welp Part 2 of Introductions are done, Honestly not sure how I feel about this, I feel like i've missed something in my editting. Oh well, I'll rely on the trusty readers to point anything out. I'm just glad to get it out there. Uhh, less see, The character introduced in order are:**

 **Aster Ryou - Shirou Kurai**

 **Kei - Shirou Kurai (it's a package deal)**

 **Aeris Balkran - Askaroth**

 **Giselle Seregeki - Unicorn819**

 **Oriax Leonard - NitroTheKidd88**

 **Irene Morley - destination'nowhere**

 **Ramses DeColette - tobi-is-an-artist-too**

 **Elise Spectra - Cloak192**

 **There are only 4 more characters to be introduced before the ball really starts turning. I hope I got your portrayals down. Now moving onto other stuff.**

 **My update schedule will be every Sunday, ideally. I can only really write on weekends, as weekdays give me one or two hours tops. That is not to say I won't write during then, I'll mostly only have the time to edit and re-crop my work on weekends though. When it comes to screen time, It's a big cast, but I'll try to have everyone present. However, if there is no reason for a character to be present in the chapter, then they won't appear. I choose all of these characters because I personally liked them, and believe they'll help improve my writing. I don't have any favourites, and will do my best to give them all their fair share of the limelight.**

 **PS. (my gpu just broke down, :(. I can't play any video games now, less I remain content with _6_ frames per second. Imagine trying to cs in league with that, or trying to zip around as tracer with that... or trying to play rhythm games with lag spikes so consistent it defeats the premise of lag spikes, it should just be called lag whirlpools, or lag paineverywhereallthetime. Sigh, yeah, enough of that from me. I can't replace it at the moment, so I can really only write. Win-win situation though, am I right? **

**Thanks! And I hope to see you lot next time!**


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